Shirley Ann Jackson receives National Medal of Science at White House ceremony

Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was awarded the National Medal of Science during a ceremony at the White House on Thursday.

The National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology, also awarded yesterday, are the nation's highest honors for scientists, engineers and inventors.

Jackson, who became president of Rensselaer in 1999, is one of nine recipients for the National Medical of Science. She's a theoretical physicist and was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Prior to joining Rensselaer, Jackson chaired the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She is a member of several corporate boards.